Wife wary of buying a car with 50,000 miles on it- is she right?

We’re off car shopping this weekend and we’re looking at cars up to 5 years old, preferably up to 3 years old. I’m after a small hot hatch type thing, since it’ll be me that drives it mostly, and am leaning towards a Fabia VRS. This is to replace an MX5, so I would like something sporty. We’re going to at least one used dealership with a few other small cars around the same price as well.

Most cars around this price have 50,000 miles on and my wife thinks this is too much. 50,000 is nothing to a modern car, right? Our other car is a 62 plate with 59,000 miles on and is fine- the cambelt change isn’t due until 140,000!

She is asking me to look at city cars with 1.0-1.2l engines and around 20,000 miles on.

We will be keeping it until it’s scrap and probably taking out a warranty on anything we get that’s out of manufacturer warranty. We’re doing roughly 10,000 miles a year.

50,000 is nothing, but if you’re in no rush maybe you’ll find something with lower miles

10,000 a year is about average. Maintenance, especially oil changes, is more important than mileage

As for if your wife is right, of course she is, always

Sorry, I meant 7,000 a year in the new car.

Your last statement is obviously correct!

This is to replace an MX5, so I would like something sporty.

She is asking me to look at city cars with 1.0-1.2l engines

Do you spend your 7000 miles in a city?

Mikewsmith- the irony of comparing the two is not lost on me. She says we already have a sporty car (an 85hp diesel).

Our mileage is mostly on country lanes and A roads these days with some motorway work every couple of weeks.

Whether you think your wife is right or wrong, could you please thank her, on behalf of my wife, for leaving all those nice, cheaper, just run in, 50k miles+ cars for her to look at shortly. Ta.

Personally I think most 3+yr old cars for sale are clocked. I treat all this way until proven otherwise.

We marvel at cars 140,000miles on the clock as unusual. I bet they arent that rare.

Cynic here.

50k is nothing for a modern car, I would be more worried about condition and history than mileage.

In fact I read somewhere that you are better off buying a 2nd hand car that has done around 10k per year rather than something with super low mileage as the very low mileage cars typically do a lot of short town journeys which is not good for the car.

It doesn’t really sound like you’re asking a question. More like you’ve answered it yourself!

If you’re replacing an MX5 and its your car…then you decide. Small engined cars are okay for short journeys but not incredibly economical on longer journeys. If you’re only doing 7000miles a year and you are keeping it, then why not ignore the mpg and get something you’ll actually enjoy driving.

Put her in the new 1.0 city car and have the sporty 85hp diesel for yourself.

See how she likes that.

Rockape- technically both our cars will be my car, as I’m paying for them, but she will drive one. The new car won’t be doing too many long journeys- my commute is 30 miles round trip, which I do about 3 times a week (I cycle or use a pool car the rest of the time). It’s on quiet twisty country roads for the most part and I like driving. Hers is 50 miles round trip, usually done in the diesel, on nice roads, done twice a week.

Hooli- that’s my concern with the lower mileage cars.

So you do roughly 10K miles a year .. and she thinks a 5 year old car is a wrong ‘un if it has 50K on the clock? I think Dr Maths may need to pay a visit 🙂

I don’t think I’ve had a car with under 50K on it for years, I wouldn’t even get twitchy till 140K plus .. if it’s 5 years and got 100K it’s likely motorway mileage which is reasonably benign.

That or it’s an ex mini cab money pit.

Your wife is a fool.

They should not be allowed anywhere near the car buying process.

Bit harsh

So you do roughly 10K miles a year .. and she thinks a 5 year old car is a wrong ‘un if it has 50K on the clock? I think Dr Maths may need to pay a visit

This…

Bought my car with 24k miles on it at 3yrs old and I was a bit wary that this might have been too few for a diesel and wondered what sort of journeys it had been used for.

But it’s now up to 259k miles and is almost 12yrs old. So, that’s 21,500 miles or so per year on average (26,200/yr since I’ve had it).
It still runs fine and it’s yet to have any parts replaced that the diesel doom-mongers would tell are going to fail sooner, rather than later and cost lots of money; e.g. still on original clutch/DM flywheel, turbo, injectors, fuel pump, intercooler etc…..

I wouldn’t hesitate buying a car with 50k miles on it, so long as you know the history and give it a decent test drive.

buying cars is a lottery but 50k is fine, tell her shes right you want a car with the youngest mileage and full service history but that the later is more important.

Mileage gives a benchmark for pricing so clearly the lower the mileage the more perceived value on the market but in terms of actual breakdown/problem risk, the service history is more important.

Knowing how many miles a year you do and how long you’ll keep the car, add that number to the current mileage and see what the market currently rates a car of that age and mileage. Then you’ll know if its good for you.

Keep the MX5. You’ll regret selling it 😉

I’d be more worried by a 5 year old car having done 20,000 miles than a 3 year old having done 50,000.

OTOH my missus’ Fiesta is aproaching 100,000miles and while it still runs, there is an ever groing list of niggles. The engines noisy (she never tops the oil up so the big end is likely not at it’s best). The heater fan resistor blows regulalry, intenrior trim is becoming detatched, etc. I’ve no doubt the engine and more of the rest of the car will do another 50,000, but it’s falling apart and she spends a couple of hours a day in it so it’d be nice to have a nice place to spend that time (OTOH IDGAS, my car will go on untill the bill excededs the depreciation on a newer car).

flyingmonkeycorps- We’ll be buying another. I guarantee it.

Her objections aren’t that it’ll have been treated badly, more that it’s about to start falling to bits.

TINAS- My previous 2 vehicles have lasted to around 140,000 miles before something got them. But they were from the late 90’s, they aren’t modern things. Current plan with the diesel is run it to 180,000 then take up rallying in it.

If your buying to keep. Bite the bullet- new Kia.

The money that you might spend on long term consumables or repairs is less than the money you save by buying an older car…

OTOH my missus’ Fiesta is aproaching 100,000miles

How old is it though? Interior trim falling off is more a function of age than miles.

My Passat is 8 years old and 110k miles, and the interior looks not far off new, and it certainly hasn’t deteriorated in the 5 years I’ve owned it.

Last few cars I’ve bought have had that mileage (all but most recent, that was a youngster at 25k).

Going backwards – 46k Saab 900 – had for another 12 years (114k IIRC)
50k Saab 900 – had for another 4 years until it was written off (105k)
50k Golf GTI – had that for ages, finally sold on 115k..

as above, old garage would hold up a car that they worked on, 200k blatting about Europe, tip-top condition..

Hora- budget isn’t going to buy a new car. And enjoyment of driving is quite high up the list for me.

50000 is a healthy mileage for a 5 year old car, means it’s probably not been sat around mouldering.

I suppose there’s some cars which can have service bombs at particular mileages.

I’ve spent 15 years I’ve been driving buying cars with 50k to 70k miles on and the same with my wife’s. It’s absolutely fine I’ve had some cracking motors. Just check what’s due to come over the 50 to 80k service intervals, abe budget it into your costs so you aren’t suprised by a cambelt change in a year or two and it’ll be fine.

If your thinking of buying a skoda vrs, negotiate a cambelt and water pump change into the deal, that way you know you’ll not have that £400 change to deal with for the next 70k or 5 years as most vag group cars are

Ive got a 3.0 quattro S which I bought at 2 yrs old with 40k miles and its now nearly 12 with 120k miles. Its still absolutely sound and I just have no reason to get rid. Last year I had a bill for £1600 which was for DMF and clutch, but that was the first time ANYTHING of note had gone wrong. I still get 30mpg on the motorways, long trips.

My daughter had a newish 107 and the clutch went after four years/30kmiles at £500.

If I was going to buy a car and keep it for life, being a petrolhead and general car fan, a Kia would signal that I’d given up on life

Sounds very arbitrary, but I guess you have to have some criteria !

Don’t forget to factor in that red cars go faster, if it has mirrors on the sun-visors and how driveable it is wearing high heels. Capacity of the glove box also an issue.

Keep the MX5. You’ll regret selling it

Actually, this is by far the most important point!

jdpotter- I believe (and am willing to be corrected) that the VRS has a chain drive.

Pfft, I’ve taken my car from 26k miles to 50k miles in 18 months – it drives exactly the same as when it was new.

It just been to the dealership for their top of the range service which includes a full vehicle check – which is code for “we’ll try to scare you into replacing anything that even slightly worn, and a few things that aren’t”. They came back with 2 tyres that were legal, but not brand new, rear wiper blade and rear pads and discs. Cost about £250 to have it all done and now as far as they’re concerned the vehicle is perfect. The interior shows not a single sign of wear, the exterior is perfect bar a scratch some careless **** did in Tesco with his/her door.

Mate of mine, handed over this Audi A4 (boo hiss) to his sister a couple of years ago, it had reached the point where it was all but worthless commercially but actually drove well – it was on 250k miles, it’s now on 300k miles and still drives well, he did have it serviced on the lights and once had to have the head rebuilt after a spark plug failed and got eaten by a valve – but that was the fault of the plug, not the car.

The ‘trick’ is to not let them degrade too much, I hear people scraping 10 year old cars, even newer because it’s needs this, and that and whatever else – the MOT man has been mean this year and failed it on a dozen things – but they didn’t all go at once, they just put up with them until more things went wrong and then more – often caused because they didn’t fix the first issue and hey presto you’ve got a car that’s no longer worth fixing. Terrible waste of something that costs so much resources to build in the first place.

Yes 50,000 miles is nothing although a “hot hatch” will probably have had a harder life. Definitely check for any big service items due, eg cambelts at 60,000

FYI I tend to buy nearly new cars (ex demonstrators) and keep them till they have done well over 100,000. Never really had any problems with those cars eg Toyota/Mitsubishi/Audi/VW.

If you are going to do lowish mileage the benefit of an economical car (which you don’t really want anyway) is pretty limited.

Stumpy to be fair to the diesel doom mongers they are generally not taking about you doing high mileage but those who buy a used diesel and are then pottering about on short journeys clogging and coking turbos dpfs etc.

Op I’d just be looking at the service history and schedule some cars are due Campbell’s etc around 60k so you could be close to a big-ish service. That wouldn’t put me off I’d just consider it with regards price and haggling and if close and using a dealer get them to do it early for asking price or something.

Most cars around this price have 50,000 miles on and my wife thinks this is too much

This is a researched view? If so then what research has she found that backs her theory up??

She says we already have a sporty car (an 85hp diesel).

Where to start with this thread, I know not.

Personally I think most 3+yr old cars for sale are clocked. I treat all this way until proven otherwise.

lol 🙄

Sent her an “abbreviated” version of this thread. The response is-

Did you actually think you removed the sexist ones !? I’ve already said it’s your car so just do as you please. I don’t need convincing from a bunch of men on the Internet.

Aygo